Cloud based platform simulation for management controller development

ABSTRACT

Certain aspects direct to systems and methods for cloud based platform simulation on virtual machine for development projects of a management controller. The system includes a cloud network, which include necessary computing resources to provide at least one virtual machine (VM), such that the at least one VM is accessible on the cloud network to simulate a management controller and a host computing device for the management controller. The at least one VM includes: a firmware module for the management controller, configured to receive at least one output signal from the host computing device; and a simulator module configured to simulate the host computing device. In operation, the simulator module generates the at least one output signal based on configuration data of the host computing device, and sends the at least one output signal to the firmware module.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application relates to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/233,073, entitled “PLATFORM SIMULATION FOR MANAGEMENT CONTROLLER DEVELOPMENT ON VIRTUAL MACHINES” filed on Aug. 10, 2016. The entire contents of the above identified applications are incorporated herein by reference.

Some references, which may include patents, patent applications and various publications, are cited and discussed in the description of this disclosure. The citation and/or discussion of such references is provided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to the disclosure described herein. All references cited and discussed in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to cloud network and management controller technologies, and more particularly to systems and methods for cloud based platform simulation for management controller development.

BACKGROUND

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

Baseboard management controller (BMC) development projects have dependency on hardware. However, the cost of pre-production hardware can be very high, and BMC developers have to share available machines.

Therefore, an unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

SUMMARY

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a system, which includes a cloud network including computing resources. The cloud network is configured to utilize the computing resources to provide a storage service storing computer executable code. The computer executable code, when executed at one or more processors on the cloud network, is configured to: provide at least one virtual machine (VM) to be accessible on the cloud network, each of the at least one VM being configured to simulate a management controller and a host computing device for the management controller. The at least one VM includes: a firmware module for the management controller, configured to receive at least one output signal from the host computing device or from at least one device connected to the host computing device; and a simulator module configured to simulate the host computing device or the at least one device connected to the host computing device by: generating the at least one output signal based on configuration data of the host computing device or the device connected to the host computing device; and sending the at least one output signal to the firmware module.

In certain embodiments, the computer executable code includes: a hypervisor configured to execute at the one or more processor on the cloud network to provide a first domain; and the at least one VM, configured to be executed in the first domain on the cloud network to simulate the management controller and the host computing device.

In certain embodiments, the at least one VM being provided on the cloud network includes a plurality of VMs to simulate a plurality of the management controllers and a plurality of the host computing devices, and each of the VMs includes a corresponding firmware module for a corresponding one of the management controllers, and a corresponding simulator module configured to simulate a corresponding one of the host computing devices for the management controller.

In certain embodiments, the system further includes a plurality of remote computing devices communicatively connected to the cloud network, wherein each of the remote computing devices is configured to remotely control one or more of the plurality of VMs on the cloud network to control the simulation of the corresponding management controllers.

In certain embodiments, the firmware module includes a library module storing a plurality of library programs for the host computing device and the at least one device connected to the host computing device.

In certain embodiments, the simulator module includes: a data store storing the configuration data of the host computing device or the device connected to the host computing device; and at least one simulator library sub-module, each configured to simulate one of the at least one device by: receiving a command from one of the library programs of the library module; generating the at least one output signal as a response to the command for the at least one device based on the configuration data stored in the data store; and sending the response to the library module.

In certain embodiments, the simulator module further includes: at least one simulator driver sub-module, each configured to simulate one of the at least one device controlled by a driver by: receiving a command from the driver; generating the at least one output signal as a response to the command for the at least one device based on the configuration data stored in the data library; and sending the response to the driver.

In certain embodiments, the configuration data includes: platform data for the host computing device; device data for the at least one device connected to the host computing device; and device specific configuration parameters for the at least one device connected to the host computing device.

In certain embodiments, each of the device specific configuration parameters is a static value, a random value within a range, a value obtained from one or more patterns, a value derived from a function of another set of variables, a value set by an administrator, a time-based value, or a value picked from a socket server.

In certain embodiments, the at least one device connected to the host computing device includes: a voltage sensor; a computer tachometer sensor; an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) device; a power supply unit (PSU); a complex programmable logic device (CPLD); a field-replaceable unit (FRU); a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) controller; a RAID-on-chip (ROC); a network interface card (NIC); a satellite management controller; an interface connected to the satellite management controller; a system interface; a universal serial bus (USB) interface; and a Host Embedded Controller Interface (HECI).

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method for cloud based platform simulation for development projects of a management controller. In certain embodiments, the method includes: providing, on a cloud network, at least one virtual machine (VM) to be accessible on the cloud network, the at least one VM being configured to simulate a management controller and a host computing device for the management controller, wherein the at least one VM includes: a firmware module for the management controller, configured to receive at least one output signal from the host computing device or from at least one device connected to the host computing device; and a simulator module configured to simulate the host computing device or the at least one device connected to the host computing device; generating, by the simulator module executed on the cloud network, the at least one output signal based on configuration data of the host computing device or the device connected to the host computing device; and sending, by the simulator module executed on the cloud network, the at least one output signal to the firmware module.

In certain embodiments, the method further includes: executing, on the cloud network, a hypervisor, wherein the hypervisor is configured to provide a first domain; and executing the at least one VM in the first domain on the cloud network to simulate the management controller and the host computing device.

In certain embodiments, the at least one VM being provided on the cloud network comprises a plurality of VMs to simulate a plurality of the management controllers and a plurality of the host computing devices, and each of the VMs comprises a corresponding firmware module for a corresponding one of the management controllers, and a corresponding simulator module configured to simulate a corresponding one of the host computing devices for the management controller.

In certain embodiments, the method further includes: remotely controlling, from a plurality of remote computing devices communicatively connected to the cloud network, one or more of the plurality of VMs on the cloud network to control the simulation of the corresponding management controllers.

In certain embodiments, the firmware module includes a library module storing a plurality of library programs for the host computing device and the at least one device connected to the host computing device. In certain embodiments, the simulator module includes: a data store storing the configuration data of the host computing device or the device connected to the host computing device; and at least one simulator library sub-module, each configured to simulate one of the at least one device by: receiving a command from one of the library programs of the library module; generating the at least one output signal as a response to the command for the at least one device based on the configuration data stored in the data store; and sending the response to the library module.

In certain embodiments, the simulator module further includes: at least one simulator driver sub-module, each configured to simulate one of the at least one device controlled by a driver by: receiving a command from the driver; generating the at least one output signal as a response to the command for the at least one device based on the configuration data stored in the data library; and sending the response to the driver.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable code. The computer executable code, when executed at one or more processor on a cloud network, is configured to: provide at least one virtual machine (VM) to be accessible on the cloud network, the at least one VM being configured to simulate a management controller and a host computing device for the management controller, wherein the at least one VM includes: a firmware module for the management controller, configured to receive at least one output signal from the host computing device or from at least one device connected to the host computing device; and a simulator module configured to simulate the host computing device or the at least one device connected to the host computing device by: generating the at least one output signal based on configuration data of the host computing device or the device connected to the host computing device; and sending the at least one output signal to the firmware module.

These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the following drawings and their captions, although variations and modifications therein may be affected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 schematically depicts an exemplary system according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 schematically depicts the execution of the VMs on the system according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 depicts a VM instance of the system according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 schematically depicts a plurality of VM instances on the cloud network accessible by the remote computing devices according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart showing a method for cloud based platform simulation for development projects of a management controller according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Various embodiments of the disclosure are now described in detail. Referring to the drawings, like numbers, if any, indicate like components throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Moreover, titles or subtitles may be used in the specification for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence on the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, some terms used in this specification are more specifically defined below.

The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure, and in the specific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used to describe the disclosure are discussed below, or elsewhere in the specification, to provide additional guidance to the practitioner regarding the description of the disclosure. For convenience, certain terms may be highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotation marks. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaning of a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the same context, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated that same thing can be said in more than one way. Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significance to be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussed herein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms discussed herein is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given in this specification.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. In the case of conflict, the present document, including definitions will control.

As used herein, “around”, “about” or “approximately” shall generally mean within 20 percent, preferably within 10 percent, and more preferably within 5 percent of a given value or range. Numerical quantities given herein are approximate, meaning that the term “around”, “about” or “approximately” can be inferred if not expressly stated.

As used herein, “plurality” means two or more.

As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to.

As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical OR. It should be understood that one or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (or concurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the term “module” may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); an electronic circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system-on-chip. The term module may include memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor.

As used herein, the term “server” generally refers to a system that responds to requests across a computer network to provide, or help to provide, a network service. An implementation of the server may include software and suitable computer hardware. A server may run on a computing device or a network computer. In some cases, a computer may provide several services and have multiple servers running.

As used herein, the term “hypervisor” generally refers to a piece of computer software, firmware or hardware that creates and runs virtual machines. The hypervisor is sometimes referred to as a virtual machine manager (VMM).

The term “code”, as used herein, may include software, firmware, and/or microcode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, and/or objects. The term shared, as used above, means that some or all code from multiple modules may be executed using a single (shared) processor. In addition, some or all code from multiple modules may be stored by a single (shared) memory. The term group, as used above, means that some or all code from a single module may be executed using a group of processors. In addition, some or all code from a single module may be stored using a group of memories.

The term “interface”, as used herein, generally refers to a communication tool or means at a point of interaction between components for performing data communication between the components. Generally, an interface may be applicable at the level of both hardware and software, and may be uni-directional or bi-directional interface. Examples of physical hardware interface may include electrical connectors, buses, ports, cables, terminals, and other I/O devices or components. The components in communication with the interface may be, for example, multiple components or peripheral devices of a computer system.

The terms “chip” or “computer chip”, as used herein, generally refer to a hardware electronic component, and may refer to or include a small electronic circuit unit, also known as an integrated circuit (IC), or a combination of electronic circuits or ICs.

The present disclosure relates to computer systems applied to simulate management controller, such as BMC, and host computing device which the management controller communicates with and operates on. As depicted in the drawings, computer components may include physical hardware components, which are shown as solid line blocks, and virtual software components, which are shown as dashed line blocks. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that, unless otherwise indicated, these computer components may be implemented in, but not limited to, the forms of software, firmware or hardware components, or a combination thereof.

The apparatuses, systems and methods described herein may be implemented by one or more computer programs executed by one or more processors. The computer programs include processor-executable instructions that are stored on a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium. The computer programs may also include stored data. Non-limiting examples of the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium are nonvolatile memory, magnetic storage, and optical storage.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure direct to systems and methods for cloud based platform simulation for management controller development. As discussed above, BMC development projects have dependency on hardware. For example, there are two distinct hardware dependencies for the BMC development projects: (a) a system on a chip (SOC) where the BMC code has to run; and (b) platform specific devices with which the BMC communicates, such as a voltage sensor, a “tach” (i.e., a computer tachometer), a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) controller, a network interface card (NIC), a satellite management controller, a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a power supply unit (PSU), or other hardware components or devices manageable by the BMC. However, the cost of pre-production hardware can be very high, and BMC developers have to share available hardware components or machines to perform the development projects. Therefore, the systems and methods for cloud based platform simulation for management controller development can provide a cost effective solution.

FIG. 1 schematically depicts an exemplary system according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 includes a cloud network 110, which utilizes multiple computing resources to provide a plurality of virtual machines, such that platform simulation for one or more management controllers may be performed on the virtual machines provided by the cloud network 110. Optionally, the system 100 may further include one or more remote computing devices 120, which is communicatively connected to the cloud network 110, such that a user (such as an administrator, a development engineer, or a testing user) may remotely control the virtual machines on the cloud network 110 through one of the remote computing devices 120. For example, the remote computing device 120 may allow an administrator/user to input data as part of the simulated data of the simulated devices and/or the simulated platforms to the virtual machines on the cloud network 110.

The cloud network 110 is an Internet based network that provides shared computing resources and data on demand. In certain embodiments, the cloud network 110 includes a shared pool of configurable computing resources. Examples of the configurable computing resources may include, without being limited thereto, a plurality of networks, servers, computing devices, processors, storage devices, applications, services, or other hardware and/or software components. In certain embodiments, the cloud network 110 utilizes the computing resources to execute the virtual machines, such that the platform simulation for one or more management controllers may be performed on the virtual machines provided by the cloud network 110. In certain embodiments, the cloud network 110 may be a private cloud network or a public cloud network, and may be of various forms.

In certain embodiments, the virtual machines running on the cloud network 110 may simulate, on one or more virtual machines being provided, a management controller, as well as a host computing device where the management controller typically is hosted on and communicates with. The management controller being simulated may be for any purposes, such as baseboard management, chassis management, rack management or any other types of management purposes. In certain embodiments, the virtual machines running on the cloud network 110 may simulate parameters typically received by the management controller from the host computing device, such as temperature, cooling fan speeds, power status, operating system (OS) status, Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) status, and interface status including Low Pin Count (LPC) and Enhanced Host Controller Interface (EHCI) settings, etc. In certain embodiments, the VMs running on the cloud network 110 may monitor the parameters and send alerts to a system administrator at the remote computing device 120 if any of the parameters do not stay within preset limits, indicating a potential failure of the system. The administrator may also remotely communicate with the VMs running on the cloud network 110 from the remote computing device 120 to take some corrective action to the simulated system, such as resetting or power cycling the system to get a hung operating system (OS) running again. Examples of the features that the VMs running on the cloud network 110 may simulate for monitoring include: sensor monitoring, firmware update of the PSU, the CPLD, or other out-of-band (OOB) devices, protocols such as Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP), interfacing with satellite management controllers or other devices behind the satellite management controllers, interface channels such as the keyboard controller style (KCS) interface or other system interfaces, the universal serial bus (USB) interface and the Host Embedded Controller Interface (HECI), integrated behavior such as PSU power based on specific component composition and system load, kernel and uboot. Further, other features that may be simulated by the VMs running on the cloud network 110 may include: system event log (SEL), platform event filtering (PEF), boundary conditions, invalid values from the devices, unexpected size of data from the devices, delays from the devices, and unexpected restart of the devices, losing the state of the machines in transactions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cloud network 110 is configured to provide a storage service 130. Specifically, the storage service 130 may utilize the computing resources, such as storage devices or storage servers, to provide the storage service 130, which is specifically configured to provide a hypervisor 140 and a plurality of virtual machines (VMs) 150, such that the platform simulation for one or more management controllers may be performed on the VMs 150 provided by the storage service 130 of the cloud network 110. Further, the cloud network may include other computing resources or services (not shown) to perform its corresponding tasks. Examples of these hardware and software components of the management controller 110 may include, but not limited to, required processors, memory, interfaces, buses, Input/Output (I/O) modules, and other managing and/or configuration software components.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hypervisor 140 and the VMs 150 are provided by the storage service 130 of the cloud network 110. Each of the hypervisor 140 and the VMs 150 may be formed by the computer executable code or instructions executable at one or more processors available on the cloud network 110. In certain embodiments, each of the hypervisor 140 and the VMs 150 may further include sub-modules. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, the hypervisor 140 and the VMs 150 may be combined to form a single module. In certain embodiments, the storage service 130 may provide other applications independent from the hypervisor 140 and the VMs 150.

The hypervisor 140 is a program that allows multiple VM instances to run simultaneously and share a single hardware host, such as the hardware components provided by the cloud network 110. The hypervisor 140, when executed at one or more processors on the cloud network 110, implements hardware virtualization techniques and allows one or more simulated management controller and host computing device or other applications to run concurrently on one or more virtual machines on the cloud network 110. For example, a plurality of users through the remote computing device 120 may attempt to simulate management controllers or a host computing device which a management controller typically is hosted on and communicates with. The hypervisor 140 allows each user to run a microcontroller instance or a host server instance as a VM. In certain embodiments, the hypervisor 200 can be of various types and designs, such as MICROSOFT HYPER-V, XEN, VMWARE ESX, or other types of hypervisors suitable for the system 100.

The VMs 150 are configured to provide simulation of management controllers and/or host computing devices the management controllers typically are hosted on and communicate with. Each of the VMs 150, when running on the hypervisor instance as a VM instance, allow an administrator to perform microcontroller test and development thereon. In certain embodiments, the VMs 150 serve as an effective and efficient replacement for SOC evaluation boards, particularly under the situation when the SOC evaluation boards are short in supply or there have been changes to the SOC with older platforms. Indeed, developers often find it difficult to reproduce issues reported by a test team or customers because of difference in the hardware configuration, and with the VMs 150, it is easy to produce a copy of the desired configuration, as the VMs 150 can easily make all the configurations being identical. Further, as the VMs 150 can be freely created by an administrator, the number of the VMs 150 can be set to be enormous, and the number of target management controllers for development and testing is no more constrained compared to traditional physical SOC evaluation boards. In certain embodiments, an administrator may run as many VMs 150 as he or she desires at the same time, with each VM simulating a different version of an management controller, so that the administrator can compare behavior between the different versions of the management controller to check on BMC development issues. In certain embodiments, multiple testing can be parallel performed by administrators on a plurality of VMs 150, with each VM 150 simulating the same version of the management controller. For example, a tester can run automated scripts on one VM 150 while testing web UI on another VM 150 simultaneously. The parallel testing on the VMs 150 aids in reducing the duration of testing cycles and achieves faster time to market.

FIG. 2 schematically depicts the execution of the VMs on the system according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, when the hypervisor instance 200 runs on the cloud network 110, the hypervisor 200 emulates a virtual computer machine, including a virtual CPU 202 and a virtual memory 204. The hypervisor instance 200 provides the virtual CPU 202 and the virtual memory 204 to the virtual machines 222 or guests operating on top of the hypervisor 200. The hypervisor 200 also emulates a plurality of domains, including a privileged domain 210 and an unprivileged domain 220 for the VMs. A plurality of VM instances 222 can run in the unprivileged domain 220 of the hypervisor 200 as if they are running directly on a physical computer.

In certain embodiments, one or more VM instances 222 may be used to simulate the management controller and the host computing device. For example, multiple VM instances 222 may be executed in the unprivileged domain, and each of the VM instances 222 is configured to simulate a corresponding management controller and a corresponding host computing device. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, one of the VM instance 222 may be a management controller simulating VM which simulates a management controller, and another VM instance 222 may be a host computing device simulating VM, which simulates a host computing device which the management controller typically is hosted on and communicates with. More than one developer/tester can access the same VM instances 222 to perform development or testing on the features of the management controller and/or the host computing device. Alternately, a developer/tester can parallel use different VM instances 222. In certain embodiments, different VM instances 222 may be used to simulate identical management controller with different configuration data in order to provide controls and comparisons. In certain embodiments, the VM instances 222 may communicate with each other. For example, when two VM instances 222 are used to simulate a management controller and a host computing device, respectively, the two VM instances 222 can communicate with each other through a host integration module which is provided either in a management controller simulating VM or a host computing device simulating VM. The communication between the management controller simulating VMs and the host computing device simulating VMs allows a simulated management controller to be further developed for operating environment accommodation in a host computing device, such as BIOS development and platform validation for a simulated management controller in a VM, which enables, for example, early integration of BIOS and BMC.

FIG. 3 depicts a VM instance of the system according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, the VM instance 222 as shown in FIG. 3 is used to simulate a corresponding management controller and its host computing device. In certain embodiments, the VM instance 222 may simulate certain different devices with which a management controller typically interacts, including the devices not usually provided by a host computing device to a management controller, such as PSU. However, the simulation of any of the devices, components, or features is not bound specifically to the one VM instance 222. For example, a separate VM instance may be provided to simulate certain features of the host computing device for the simulated management controller. In other words, the simulation of the components and features of the management controller, the host computing device and the devices connected to the host computing device can be performed collectively by one or more VM instances, so as to achieve integration of management controller with host computing devices settings.

As shown in FIG. 3, the VM instance 222 includes a management controller image, and simulates certain different devices with which a management controller is typically interacting using software modules. The management controller image of the VM instance 222 includes, without being limited thereto, a firmware module 232, a library module 234, a driver module 236, and a simulator module 238. It should be noted that some of the devices, such as I2C, can be simulated at the driver level, and therefore do not need to be emulated by a specific module. In certain embodiments, only the minimal registers and/or devices needed by kernel are needed to be emulated. In certain embodiments, the VM instance 222 may include a host integration module 250 to communicate with the simulator module 238, or with a separate host computing device simulating VM instance for integration purpose. Each of the firmware module 232, the library module 234, the driver module 236, the simulator module 238, and the host integration module 231 may be formed by the computer executable code or instructions. In certain embodiments, each of the modules may further include sub-modules. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, some or all of the modules may be combined to form a single module. In certain embodiments, the VM instance 222 may include other applications independent from the modules.

The host integration module 250 is configured to perform interfacing between the simulated management controller and the host computing device. In certain embodiments, the host integration module 250 may be implemented through a socket based approach, which may be extended for local or remote communication. Alternately, the host integration module 250 may be implemented through an API based library. The exchange means through the host integration module 250 between the simulated management controller and the host computing device may include Low Pin Count (LPC) bus, Enhanced Serial Peripheral Interface (eSPI), USB, General-purpose input/output (GPIO), Intelligent Platform Management Bus (IPMB), Video interfaces, and so on. In certain embodiments, when multiple VM instances 222 are involved to separately simulate the management controller and the host computing device, the host integration module 250 may be provided in either one of the VM instances 222.

The firmware module 232 provides the firmware of the management controller simulated by the VM instance 222. In certain embodiments, the firmware module 232 may include a plurality of modules or sub-modules, which may respectively be implemented by computer executable codes or instructions to collectively form the firmware module 232. In certain embodiments, the firmware module 232 may include applications for monitoring the various features of devices a management controller is supposed to be connected to. Examples of the features of the devices may include, without being limited to, sensors, firmware updates, satellite control monitoring, bridging, interfacing, RAID management, device management, field-replaceable unit (FRU) commands, or any other features that may be managed or monitored by a management controller. In operation, the firmware module 232 may receive the corresponding data from the simulator module 238. In certain embodiments, different firmware modules or sub-modules of the firmware module 232 may respectively receive the corresponding data simultaneously. In certain embodiments, the firmware module 232 may further generate test result based on the data received, and send the test result back to the simulator module 238. In certain embodiments, the firmware module 232 may include other applications necessary for the operation of the simulated management controller.

The library module 234 is a module storing a plurality of library programs used for development purposes. In certain embodiments, the library programs of the library module 234 may include configuration information of the simulated management controller, documentation, help data, message templates, pre-written code and subroutines, classes, values or type specifications, or any other data necessary for the development projects. Each of the library programs of the library module 234 may correspond to one or more actions for communicating with the features, such as hardware or software components, being monitored by the simulated management controller. For example, some of the library programs of the library module 234 may be in charge of the read/write process to certain features or devices. In certain embodiments, the library programs of the library module 234 may be a part of the firmware module 232, or may be separate from the firmware module 232. It should be noted that, although FIG. 3A shows the library module 234 as a collective module of the library programs, each library program may be independent and separate from one another, and may be stored in different locations and executed independently in different threads.

The driver module 236 is a module storing a plurality of drivers. In certain embodiments, the drivers may be a part of the firmware module 232, or may be separate from the firmware module 232. Each of the drivers of the driver module 236 may correspond to one of the features, such as hardware or software components, being monitored by the simulated management controller of the VM instance 222. It should be noted that, although FIG. 3A shows the driver module 236 as a collective module of the drivers, each driver may be independent and separate from one another. In operation, the drivers are configured to control the corresponding feature, and to receive and process data from the corresponding feature.

The simulator module 238 is configured to simulate the features and devices supposedly being communicating to and monitored by the simulated management controller and the platforms used by the devices to communicate with the simulated management controller. In certain embodiments, the simulator module 238 of the VM instance 222 may include a plurality of sub-modules, such as a data store 252, a simulator library sub-module 254, and a simulator driver sub-module 256. As discussed above, the simulated management controller may monitor and manage certain features and/or devices it communicates with. For example, the features and/or devices being monitored and managed by the simulated management controller may include computer platforms and the devices and features of the computer platforms. In the management controller development projects, there may be required tests to be performed for each of different platforms, different devices, and different device specific configuration parameters for each device. Generally, in the management controller development projects, the SOC vendors may provide development boards (also referred to as the evaluation boards or “eval boards”), which may be used in a laboratory environment to perform development and testing purposes. In some cases, older computer platforms may be available as needed and used for new development. However, the dependency on the hardware components may be about the board/platform specific features. For example, the voltage sensors, tach sensors, and some of the Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) devices may be simple hardware components that provide value on the I2C buses. Some of the I2C devices, such as other management controllers, PSU devices on PMBUS, the I2C interface for the RAID cards or the network cards, may perform command processing. In certain embodiments, these features and devices to be tested may be simulated by the simulator module 238.

In certain embodiments, the simulator module 238 may include one or more simulation files, which contains the detailed information of the features and devices being simulated. In certain embodiments, the simulation files may include, without being limited to: (1) one or more platform data files, each providing the detailed information of the type of the platform device and an address; (2) one or more device data files (which may be used across projects for different platforms), each providing the detailed information of the type of the device and the types of commands and responses of the device; and (3) one or more device specific configuration parameter files, each providing the specific configuration applicable for the device, including the method of generating the response.

In certain embodiments, the simulator module 238 may obtain data typically generated by the simulated features and/or devices, and send the data to the firmware module 232, so as to test and develop the simulated management controller without dependency on physical devices. In certain embodiments, the simulator module 238 may further receive the response from the firmware module 232, and then obtain further data to be sent to the firmware module 232 based on the response from the firmware module 232. In certain embodiments, the simulator module 238 may store platform data files providing platform details of the devices such as the type, the bus address and the device address of the devices, device data files correspondingly providing details of each device such as the type of command and responses of each device, and device specific configuration parameter files correspondingly providing specific configuration applicable for each of the devices, including the method of generating the response of each of the devices. The simulator module 238 may generate the simulated data based on the platform data files, device data files, and device specific configuration parameter files.

The data store 252 is a database which stores configuration data of the devices being simulated by the simulator module 238. In certain embodiments, the data store 252 may be modified to support the read/write processes by the library programs of the library module 234. In certain embodiments, the configuration data may include the platform data files, the device data files, and the device specific configuration parameter files. In certain embodiments, the device specific configuration parameter files may contain configuration parameters of the devices. In certain embodiments, the configuration parameters of the devices may include device values, and each of the device values may be a static value or a random value within a range. In certain embodiments, the device values may be obtained from patterns, or derived from a function of another set of variables. In certain embodiments, the device values may be values set by administrators/users through the remote computing device 120, time-based values based on different time of a day, or values picked from a socket server located locally in the VM instance 222 or from a remote machine (which may be the remote computing device 120, or may be another remote computer not shown in the figures). For example, values of voltage sensor at the time of power on in a dynamic manner can be changed by an administrator/user through the remote computing device 120 to aid studying of the event generation and the need for the masking of the events in the initializing period.

The simulator library sub-module 254 is a sub-module to simulate the command and/or response of the devices. In certain embodiments, the simulation of the simulator library sub-module 254 is performed based on the configuration data stored in the data store 252. In certain embodiments, in response to an action or a command from the library module 234 that is supposed to be sent to certain devices, the simulator library sub-module 254 may simulate a corresponding response of the devices based on the corresponding platform data files, device data files, and device specific configuration parameter files for the devices stored in the data store 252. For example, the simulator library sub-module 254 may simulate application program interfaces (APIs) of a particular device, such as a read/write process, by referring to the device address (e.g., bus address and device address of the device on the bus) contained in the platform data files for the device, and simulate a response as needed by the device by referring to the configuration parameters of the device contained in the device specific configuration parameter files for the device. In response to generating the simulated data, the simulator library sub-module 254 sends the simulated data to the firmware module 232 through the library module 234 for management controller testing and developing. In certain embodiments, the simulator library sub-module 254 may simulate for intelligent devices such as satellite controllers, PSUs, NIC, RAID, CPLD by referring to the data store 252 or to the socket server. In certain embodiments, the simulator library sub-module 254 may simulate devices behind satellite controllers, which are accessed by bridging, by referring to the data store 252 for bridge command for the devices and execute the command. In certain embodiments, more than one simulator library sub-module 254 may co-exist to simulate the different intelligent devices.

The simulator driver sub-module 256 may simulate the command and/or response to/from the drivers of the driver module 236. As discussed above, the drivers of the driver module 236 are configured to receive and process data from the corresponding hardware, and send the processed data to the firmware module 232. In certain embodiments, the library programs of the library module 234 may use the drivers of the driver module 236 to interact with the corresponding hardware. In certain embodiments, the simulator driver sub-module 256 may simulate data from part or all of the hardware controlled by the drivers, and send the simulated data to the corresponding driver in the driver module 236 for processing. For example, the driver module 236 may include one or more existing drivers for a certain device. In this case, the simulator driver sub-module 256 may simulate a driver, which can register one or more handlers with the existing drivers for the device, and the existing drivers may check for registration to determine whether the drivers should be handled by the simulator driver sub-module 256 (i.e., the simulated driver). In certain embodiments, more than one simulator driver sub-module 256 may co-exist to simulate the different intelligent devices.

In certain embodiments, the VM instance 222 may further contain extension modules for emulation, so that SOC vendors can add emulation modules for new technology interfaces in the future, and make it available to BMC developers ahead of time, so as to save the effort and cost of evaluation boards. And therefore, by the time the SOC comes with new feature, developers will have the chance to make the stack ready, and the SOC vendors can benefit from early feedbacks.

In operation, each of the sub-modules of the simulator module 238 may be independently executed in different threads such that each of the sub-modules may independently simulate the corresponding feature. In certain embodiments, the library module 234 may be modified to support the read/write processes by the sub-modules of the simulator module 238. For example, for a specific I2C device on a bus X and address Y, the sub-module corresponding to the I2C device will be coded such that the read/write process to the I2C device will reference to the configuration data stored in the library module 234 that corresponds to the I2C device. Thus, in the simulating process, the sub-module will retrieve the configuration data, and then generate a response as needed for the simulated I2C device based on the configuration data.

In certain embodiments, the simulator module 238 may include other sub-modules to simulate other features of the host computing device. For example, with the host integration module 250 and the simulator module 238 available, the BIOS and the host side tools, which requires interaction with the management controller, can be developed at the same time. In certain embodiments, the simulator module 238 may include sub-modules such as a BIOS simulation module, an interface simulation module, or an operating system of the host computing device. In certain embodiments, the BIOS simulation module is configured to simulate BIOS settings and commands of the host computing device to perform the booting functions for the simulated host computing device. The simulated BIOS settings and commands can be communicated to a simulated management controller through the host integration module 250, so as to develop a simulated management controller under different or the same BIOS settings of a simulated host computing device. The BIOS simulation module may simulate a set of storage devices (designated as “bootable data storage devices” or a “bootable devices”) that the simulated host computing device is allowed to boot from. In certain embodiments, the BIOS simulation module may simulate the starting up of the host computing device, the power-on self-test and the initiation and identification results of hardware devices, such as CPU, memory and storage devices, display card, keyboard and mouse, and other hardware devices, based on the configuration data of the devices stored in the data store 252. The interface simulation module may simulate features of interfaces of a host computing device, such as Low Pin Count (LPC) and Enhanced Host Controller Interface (EHCI) interfaces.

The system as described in the embodiments above utilizes cloud networking to provide platform simulation for the management controller using VM instances on the cloud network 110. As described above, each of the VM instances 222 may be used to simulate a specific platform of a management controller. In certain embodiments, multiple users, such as administrators, developers and testing users, may simultaneously access the VM instances 222 on the cloud network 110 to perform development and testing on the management controllers.

FIG. 4 schematically depicts a plurality of VM instances on the cloud network accessible by the remote computing devices according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, different users may use different remote computing devices 120 to access the multiple VM instances 222 on the cloud network 110 to perform development and testing on the simulated management controllers. For example, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) may have multiple OEM team members at different locations, and these team members may access the same simulated management controller from their own location for a joint development project. This will allow joint development, integration and debugging of all team members on the same project.

In certain embodiments, the cloud network 110 may be a public or private cloud. The OEMs can take the cloud access (free or paid) for working on the platform. Further, in another example, different stake holders of a development project may review the development on the same VM instance 222. For example, a SOC vendor may help the OEM with SOC specific issues by working together on the same VM instance 222.

In certain embodiments, the VM instance 222 may include common modules of the simulated host computing device, such as the PSUs, satellite controllers, or other features, and these common modules may get updates from the vendors. In these case, all of the users, such as the OEM members, developers and testing users, may get the updates immediately, without the need of updating individual modules separately.

In certain embodiments, all of the major OEMs may maintain their own cloud network (or networks) with multiple VM instances, where each VM instance is used to simulate a specific platform for a specific team. Since the OEMs generally work on multiple platforms at the same time, the OEMs may host all of the platform on the cloud network.

A further aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method for cloud based platform simulation for development projects of a management controller. FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart showing a method for cloud based platform simulation for development projects of a management controller according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. In certain embodiments, the method as shown in FIG. 5 may be implemented on a system having the cloud network 110 as shown in FIG. 1. It should be particularly noted that the sequence of the procedures as described in the flowchart as shown in FIG. 5 may vary, and is thus not intended to limit the disclosure thereof.

As shown in FIG. 5, at procedure 510, a hypervisor 210 is executed on the cloud network 110. At procedure 420, a VM instance 222 may be executed on the hypervisor instance on the cloud network to simulate a management controller and the host computing device for the management controller. In certain embodiments, multiple VM instances may be simultaneously provided to simulate a plurality of the management controllers and a plurality of the host computing devices. In this case, each of the VMs include a corresponding firmware module for a corresponding one of the management controllers, and a corresponding simulator module configured to simulate a corresponding one of the host computing devices for the management controller.

At procedure 530, the simulator module 238 on the VM instance 222 may be executed to simulate features of the host computing device. At procedure 540, the simulator module 238 generates at least one output signal based on the configuration data of the devices of the host computing device. As discussed above, the configuration data may be stored in the data store 252. In certain embodiments, the simulator module 238 may include one or more sub-modules to simulate one or more devices, and each of the sub-modules may be executed in a different thread such that the sub-modules may run simultaneously. Examples of the sub-modules may include the simulator library sub-module 254 and simulator driver sub-module 256. Once the output signal is generated, at procedure 550, the output signal may be sent to the firmware module 232 of the VM instance 222 for testing and development of the management controller. In certain embodiments, the firmware module 232 may send, through the library module 234 and/or the driver module 236, commands to the sub-modules of the simulator module 238, and each of the sub-modules of the simulator module 238 may return the output signal as the response to each of the commands back to the library module 234 and/or the driver module 236.

In a further aspect, the present disclosure is related to a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable code. The code, when executed at one or more processer, may perform the method as described above. In certain embodiments, the non-transitory computer readable medium may include, but not limited to, any physical or virtual storage media. In certain embodiments, the non-transitory computer readable medium may be implemented as storage resource forming the storage service 130 of the cloud network 110 as shown in FIG. 1.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a cloud network comprising computing resources, configured to utilize the computing resources to provide a storage service storing computer executable code, wherein the computer executable code, when executed at one or more processors on the cloud network, is configured to: provide at least one virtual machine (VM) to be accessible on the cloud network, each of the at least one VM being configured to simulate a management controller and a host computing device for the management controller, wherein the at least one VM comprises: a firmware module for the management controller, configured to receive at least one output signal from the host computing device or from at least one device connected to the host computing device; and a simulator module configured to simulate the host computing device or the at least one device connected to the host computing device by: generating the at least one output signal based on configuration data of the host computing device or the device connected to the host computing device; and sending the at least one output signal to the firmware module.
 2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computer executable code comprises: a hypervisor configured to execute at the one or more processor on the cloud network to provide a first domain; and the at least one VM, configured to be executed in the first domain on the cloud network to simulate the management controller and the host computing device.
 3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one VM being provided on the cloud network comprises a plurality of VMs to simulate a plurality of the management controllers and a plurality of the host computing devices, and each of the VMs comprises a corresponding firmware module for a corresponding one of the management controllers, and a corresponding simulator module configured to simulate a corresponding one of the host computing devices for the management controller.
 4. The system as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a plurality of remote computing devices communicatively connected to the cloud network, wherein each of the remote computing devices is configured to remotely control one or more of the plurality of VMs on the cloud network to control the simulation of the corresponding management controllers.
 5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the firmware module comprises a library module storing a plurality of library programs for the host computing device and the at least one device connected to the host computing device.
 6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the simulator module comprises: a data store storing the configuration data of the host computing device or the device connected to the host computing device; and at least one simulator library sub-module, each configured to simulate one of the at least one device by: receiving a command from one of the library programs of the library module; generating the at least one output signal as a response to the command for the at least one device based on the configuration data stored in the data store; and sending the response to the library module.
 7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the controller simulator module further comprises: at least one simulator driver sub-module, each configured to simulate one of the at least one device controlled by a driver by: receiving a command from the driver; generating the at least one output signal as a response to the command for the at least one device based on the configuration data stored in the data library; and sending the response to the driver.
 8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises: platform data for the host computing device; device data for the at least one device connected to the host computing device; and device specific configuration parameters for the at least one device connected to the host computing device.
 9. A method for cloud based platform simulation for development projects of a management controller, the method comprising: providing, on a cloud network, at least one virtual machine (VM) to be accessible on the cloud network, the at least one VM being configured to simulate a management controller and a host computing device for the management controller, wherein the at least one VM comprises: a firmware module for the management controller, configured to receive at least one output signal from the host computing device or from at least one device connected to the host computing device; and a simulator module configured to simulate the host computing device or the at least one device connected to the host computing device; generating, by the simulator module executed on the cloud network, the at least one output signal based on configuration data of the host computing device or the device connected to the host computing device; and sending, by the simulator module executed on the cloud network, the at least one output signal to the firmware module.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising: executing, on the cloud network, a hypervisor, wherein the hypervisor is configured to provide a first domain; and executing the at least one VM in the first domain on the cloud network to simulate the management controller and the host computing device.
 11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one VM being provided on the cloud network comprises a plurality of VMs to simulate a plurality of the management controllers and a plurality of the host computing devices, and each of the VMs comprises a corresponding firmware module for a corresponding one of the management controllers, and a corresponding simulator module configured to simulate a corresponding one of the host computing devices for the management controller.
 12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising: remotely controlling, from a plurality of remote computing devices communicatively connected to the cloud network, one or more of the plurality of VMs on the cloud network to control the simulation of the corresponding management controllers.
 13. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the firmware module comprises a library module storing a plurality of library programs for the host computing device and the at least one device connected to the host computing device, and the simulator module comprises: a data store storing the configuration data of the host computing device or the device connected to the host computing device; and at least one simulator library sub-module, each configured to simulate one of the at least one device by: receiving a command from one of the library programs of the library module; generating the at least one output signal as a response to the command for the at least one device based on the configuration data stored in the data store; and sending the response to the library module.
 14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the simulator module further comprises: at least one simulator driver sub-module, each configured to simulate one of the at least one device controlled by a driver by: receiving a command from the driver; generating the at least one output signal as a response to the command for the at least one device based on the configuration data stored in the data library; and sending the response to the driver.
 15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable code, wherein the computer executable code, when executed at one or more processor on a cloud network, is configured to: provide at least one virtual machine (VM) to be accessible on the cloud network, the at least one VM being configured to simulate a management controller and a host computing device for the management controller, wherein the at least one VM comprises: a firmware module for the management controller, configured to receive at least one output signal from the host computing device or from at least one device connected to the host computing device; and a simulator module configured to simulate the host computing device or the at least one device connected to the host computing device by: generating the at least one output signal based on configuration data of the host computing device or the device connected to the host computing device; and sending the at least one output signal to the firmware module.
 16. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein the computer executable code comprises: a hypervisor configured to execute at the one or more processor on the cloud network to provide a first domain; and the at least one VM, configured to be executed in the first domain on the cloud network to simulate the management controller and the host computing device.
 17. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one VM being provided on the cloud network comprises a plurality of VMs to simulate a plurality of the management controllers and a plurality of the host computing devices, and each of the VMs comprises a corresponding firmware module for a corresponding one of the management controllers, and a corresponding simulator module configured to simulate a corresponding one of the host computing devices for the management controller.
 18. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 17, wherein a plurality of remote computing devices is communicatively connected to the cloud network, wherein each of the remote computing devices is configured to remotely control one or more of the plurality of VMs on the cloud network to control the simulation of the corresponding management controllers.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 17, wherein the firmware module comprises a library module storing a plurality of library programs for the host computing device and the at least one device connected to the host computing device, and the controller simulator module comprises: a data store storing the configuration data of the host computing device or the device connected to the host computing device; and at least one simulator library sub-module, each configured to simulate one of the at least one device by: receiving a command from one of the library programs of the library module; generating the at least one output signal as a response to the command for the at least one device based on the configuration data stored in the data store; and sending the response to the library module.
 20. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 19, wherein the controller simulator module further comprises: at least one simulator driver sub-module, each configured to simulate one of the at least one device controlled by a driver by: receiving a command from the driver; generating the at least one output signal as a response to the command for the at least one device based on the configuration data stored in the data library; and sending the response to the driver. 